I like the look of down-eyes better personally, but don't think it matters fishing.

My feeling as well. Beck before the days of gossamer nylon monofilament tippets and improved clinch knots, an up- or down- eye was needed to set a Turle knot properly. You would often see dries from that era tied with an up-eye and wets with a down-eye, for reasons that I don't really understand. Now that thinner nylon makes knots like the Improved Clinch possible, though, the position of the eye against the shank doesn't direct the position of the leader, so the bent eye is no longer necessary. But it's still traditional.